Growth of electronic formats 'staggering'

The emergence of digital technologies has opened several new avenues for b-to-b publishers to deliver repurposed content. Dan Fineberg, VP-marketing at Reprint Management Services, talked to Media Business about this and other trends.

MB: What are some of the current trends in reprint services?

Fineberg: The past couple years have seen increased growth in electronic reprint products. Companies are allocating larger portions of their advertising budgets for online promotion; reprints are simply following suit. Business-to-business editorial remains a powerful tool, and in many industries, companies are supplementing their hard-copy reprints with electronic products.

MB: How fast is the e-print business growing?

Fineberg: The e-print business has been steadily growing, almost reaching its product maturity. There are only a few industries that have yet to widely adopt this electronic format. At RMS, we are experiencing stronger electronic growth through our exclusive NXTprint product. It is proving to be vastly superior to an e-print, allowing reprint customers to combine audio, video and tracking features into this marketing tool. This product is gearing up to surpass e-prints as the preferred electronic format. The staggering growth of both electronic formats reflects specific industry marketing trends.

MB: Other than reprinting content, what are some of the additional services that reprint vendors can offer to business publishers?

Fineberg: We establish a close relationship with our publishers, engage in many custom marketing projects and special promotions that help extend the brand of the magazine. Our primary focus is generating reprint profits for our publishers, but we extend our services into areas that will most benefit the value of their editorial content. We've created digital scrapbooks of events, sales literature for their ad sales reps, and we've even designed logos for lists and special editorial features. We've had a physical presence at many industry events and trade shows. It helps create a connection between the magazine and our marketing services for their readers.

MB: What are some of the online vehicles reprint services can provide to enhance business publishers' relationships with their advertisers?

Fineberg: Previous projects have included online product sales, linking to advertisers' sites within electronic reprints. We have also created digital editions of publications co-branded for their advertisers. Digital marketing catalogs have taken off as a powerful sales tool as well.

MB: What are some of the ways that reprint companies can bridge the gap between reprints and licensing?

Fineberg: There are several companies that manage outsourced programs for permissions and content licensing for publishers. We currently have an in-house team that specializes in permissions. While we're capable of collaborating with outside licensing companies, we are already working with the editorial content; therefore, it's a natural progression to manage the licensing and permissions, too. It streamlines the process for the publisher when one company is managing all content, not just reprints. It also allows us to focus on selling the content from all angles, not just reprint products.